Communication Network Research: An Examination of Controversies

Abstract

This study was concerned with the salient issues in communication network research. When the organizational phase was separated from the operational phase of problem-solving, centralization was adequate in both phases where the probems were simple symbol identification tasks. Although a centralized operational procedure also was adopted by all groups solving complex arithmetic tasks, the decentralized network permitted the organizational flexibility necessary for considering various possibilities before formulating a method. During the organizational period the authoritarian leader imposed structure in the decentralized network and the democratic leader worked to overcome the restrictions in the centralized network. Authoritarian-led groups required less time for planning than democratic-led groups, but the former were less efficient in solving the taks.